His fine displays have thrown him into contention to head to Russia for the World Cup and he may well end up at a new club too.

Chelsea have followed Liverpools lead by opening secret talks with the players entourage as they try to gauge whether hes keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, according to A Bola.

Chelsea face competition to sign him (Picture: EPA)

Fernandes has an £87million release clause – a fee which Sporting are keen to recuperate fully.

AdvertisementAdvertisement

The Blues would no doubt be reluctant to part with such a large amount of money and face serious competition to land him, with Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid and, of course, Liverpool all in the race for his signature.